The present invention relates to a textile yarn processing apparatus, such as a spinning plant, for the continuous production of a plurality of synthetic filament yarns.
DE OS 29 39 675 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. Re 31,839 disclose a package doffing device for such a spinning installation, in which a yarn servicing carriage moves in the service aisle from one takeup machine to another. The yarn servicing carriage is operatively linked with a package doffing carriage. To do so, at each contacted and serviced takeup machine, the full packages are removed from the winding spindle and transferred to the package doffing carriage, which then delivers the packages to a package transport device. The package transport device receives a plurality of packages, which it then transports to a control station for the individual packages. Thereafter, the full packages having been found to be satisfactory, advance to a packing station.
The operative linkage of yarn service carriage and package doffing carriage leads to a refill of the package transport device in defined time intervals, which determines the operating cycle of the package control station. The operating cycle of the control station is thus dependent on the refill speed of the package transport devices.
In this known installation, it is necessary to have at least one package transport device available for receiving new full packages. It is also necessary to have a large floor space. Furthermore, this installation is subject to a rigid time sequence in the production of full packages, since ultimately the time intervals necessary for refilling the package transport devices determine the production speed. A lengthening of the time intervals can be realized only by enlarging the package transport devices or by increasing their number. However, in view of the number of full packages to be received, limits are set to the first of the two measures due the high package weights which are presently being produced, since otherwise it would no longer be possible to handle the package transport devices. The second of the two measures necessitates an increased floor space requirement.
As used in the present application, a doffer is understood to be an apparatus traveling along a machine front from takeup machine to takeup machine, which doffs the produced full packages at the end of a winding cycle. This doffing operation includes the removal of full packages from each serviced winding spindle and the transfer of these full packages to a transport carriage for further transportation.
The time of removing the produced full packages is monitored by the doffer, it being useful that the doffer also requests the respectively needed number of empty tubes.
In one embodiment, the doffer is additionally designed to furnish the just-serviced winding spindle with new empty tubes after removing and transferring the full packages, so that the takeup machine is able to continue its winding operation. Such a doffer is known, for example, from DE AS 24 49 415. In the case of this doffer, the necessary number of needed empty tubes is continuously furnished by means of a conveyor chain passing by the doffer.
Also known from DE OS 21 28 974, is a package doffing carriage which replaces full packages with empty tubes. In this embodiment, the empty tubes are carried along on the package doffing carriage and transferred to the winding spindle of the takeup machine by means of two gripping arms.
DE OS 21 23 689 also discloses a traveling package doffer, which delivers the full packages to a traveling package transport device. Subsequently, the package transport device is moved to a control station, where the individual full packages are subjected either individually or randomly to a quality check, and then continue to a packing station.
In light of this prior art, it is the object of this invention to create a yarn processing apparatus, such as a spinning plant for the uninterrupted production of a plurality of synthetic filament yarns, and which overcomes with little floor space requirement the incompatible different time cycles of the production and winding facilities on the one hand, and of the further processing stations, such as, for example, individual package control and packing, on the other hand. Thus the time cycles involved with the production of full packages are independent of the time cycles involved with individual